The truth is, I was scared.. Hults and his then-fiance babysat Shirley's daughter on the night of the explosion. There have been days with only two people in the audience other than media, but there were more than 30 Wednesday. But after a second round of boarding Snowball the cat, getting a babysitter for Shirleys daughter and setting hotel reservations, the house again was standing. PHOTOS: First Richmond Hill trial Mark Leonard is on. The explosion in the subdivision just south of the city on Saturday, Nov. 10, killed John and Jennifer Longworth. "You can't even do a fire. After the second failed attempt to burn the home, Monserrate Shirley said she went to the home of Glenn Hults to pick up her daughter. Robinson told the residents what she could: That they didnt need Monserrate Shirley as a witness, but that she would help fill in blanks they hadnt been able to. Leonards death doesnt change the fact that Jennifer and Dion died, Buxton said. The family, he said, will never truly get closure. The jury found 46-year-old Mark Leonard guilty of all counts against him, including murder and felony murder. "I am a nurse. Too little, too late, said Jennifer Longworths father, Don Buxton. He told her his friend Glenn Holts had done the same at his own house with help from Gary Thompson, who worked for Leonard at the time. Leonard then tried to get Thompson to talk about what he did at Holts' home, but he refused, saying they shouldn't talk about it. She got in the van with them, and Mark asked her to give Bob $40. Get the Android Weather app from Google Play, Glenn Hults, the final defendant to stand trial for the explosion, Best athletic wear for kids joining baseball and, How to watch all the Oscar-nominated movies in style, Best smart home devices for older users, according, Bryce Young falls short: 5-10 . The now 49-year-old originally faced life in prison without parole. HOW TO SOLVE ERROR CODE PII_EMAIL_DE03C2D55A4B639F558D. Robinson knew that. But the plan went horribly awry when a vast amount of natural gas had built up in the home before something set inside a microwave oven ignited the blaze. While Thompson checked the digital thermostat, Shirley heard him and Leonard say they could use it to trigger the fireplace as the source of the fire, but they never directly gave her any specifics on how they were going to do it. BREAKING: By a vote of 24-38, New York's State Senate has voted against same-sex marriage legislation. This type of trial is unusual but not unheard of, and had been used in the trial of the Menendez brothers. I said OK, she said. Mark. If I could bring Dion and Jennifer back, I would do that in a heartbeat, she said. John Shirley, her ex-husband, who owns the home with her, told The Associated Press that he believed the home's faulty furnace could have led to the explosion. The November 2012 blast claimed the lives of John and Jennifer Longworth and spawned an investigation that landed five people behind bars. She took care of all three. She said they should be punished, Carter testified. She met Mark Leonard at a bar on November 12, 2011. Monserrate Shirley, 49, would have to testify against former boyfriend Mark Leonard and his brother in the plea deal . "I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. The courtroom was crowded Monday as the proceedings began, as those who were hurt or lost their homes, plus the parents of Dion and Jennifer Longworth wait to learn Shirley's . The blast the product of an insurance fraud scheme killed two people and injured dozens of others. She then spoke with another neighbor, who told her there had been an explosion. When asked why she didn't take Leonard's hospitalization in March 2012 as an opportunity not to let him back into her home since she knew what he wanted to do by that point, she said she couldn't turn away a sick person. Thats time served, and hes out. If Monserrate Shirley keeps up her part of the agreement, a judge will decide her sentence after all the Richmond Hill explosiontrials have been completed. Monserrate Shirley testified that Mark Leonard is the one who told her to increase the insurance on the contents of her house, and she also testified Mark Leonard brought up the idea of setting fire to her house for easy money. IndyStar reporter Robert King contributed to this story. Shirley: "No.". Jordan Fischer is the senior digital reporter for RTV6. On Monday, November 5, they changed out the thermostat for a "cheaper" model. Shirley and her boyfriend were hoping to collect $300,000 in insurance . She still qualifies as a practicing nurse. The crowd watched in grim silence as a Marion County judge entered not guilty pleas for Monserrate Shirley, her boyfriend Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard. TRANSCRIPT | Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. She never got a call, though. On Friday, October 26, Leonard told Shirley to get anything sentimental out of the house. Marion County Superior Court Judge Sheila Carlisle sentenced Monserrate Shirley to spend the maximum sentence of 50 years in prison on Tuesday. Shirley said she has been reeling from the pain of people blaming her for the tragic event. Shirley: "No.". But ultimately I think we were able to accomplish what we needed to do for her.. Iwas scared. I didn't do nothing wrong.". In court, Shirley testified Leonard had promised to show her how to make a lot of money. Investigators have ruled out a natural gas leak from the home's underground pipelines, the Star reported, and they are now focusing on whether there may have been a leak from one of the gas appliances inside three homes that were obliterated in the explosion. He faces up to life in prison without the possibility of parole if convicted. Prosecuting Mark Leonard presented with some challenges. News, information &. The home of Monserrate Shirley was the center of the explosion that resulted in the deaths of next-door neighbors John "Dion" Longworth and his wife Jennifer (ne Buxton), the injuries of seven others, and $4 million in property damage. Monserrate Shirley detailed the multiple attempts made to set the house on fire prior to the explosion that leveled the home. [24], On March 28, 2015, Mark Leonard was charged with conspiring to murder the key witness against him, Mark Duckworth. I didnt give it any credibility. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Indianapolis, IN Interactive Weather Radar, Mark Leonards friend says he knew too much, Opening statements in the trial of Mark Leonard. Leonard was being held at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facilitybut was transferred to the hospital several days ago. And I think when the motivation is that, what we have is a person who is the worst of the worst.. "I don't know what happened. She and her boyfriend, Mark Leonard, who also lived at the residence, told authorities they had left Friday night for a weekend at Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg, Indiana. Below, former IMPD Det. During the course of this lengthy process, we have sincerely appreciated the cooperation and patience of these families. They moved into a home they built in Richmond Hill toward the end of 2003. Her house exploded on their third attempt of trying to claim insurance money. Among the "no" votes, inexplicably: political dancer Hiram Monserrate. I told them I dont even want to be a part of this, Shirley testified as telling the Leonards. Thirty-three homes were damaged so severely they were deemed unrecoverable, and had to be torn down to the foundation. [29] He was sentenced to life in prison plus 75 years without parole on August 14, 2015. Shirley's daughterwent with them in Leonard's Cadillac. Minch: "Before that, you did have some problems with the pilot light on the furnace?" "We had a lot of parties," the late. They are charged with. That presented a potential pitfall in the case, Robinson said. The stove was electric. In an interview with former RTV6 reporter Stacia Matthews, Shirley suggested the explosion may have been an attempt on her life. After demands for a vote on the bill, we finally received one. At about 11:10p.m., on November 10, 2012, a large explosion occurred in Richmond Hill, a subdivision on the southeast side of Indianapolis. Sgt. [37] She is serving her sentence at Indiana Women's Prison in Indianapolis. "I have everybody telling me stuff that they said on the TV," she said. I was at one of my part-time jobs when I got a text from my daughter, which was very unusual. "I don't understand it," Shircliff said of the judge's ruling. Two mental health experts testified that her childhood could have contributed to her decision to stay with Mark Leonard and go along with his plan to blow up her house for insurance money. But I cant do that, and everybody knows you cant do that, but sometimes theres this perception that getting through the justice system will make things better. So in the end there were a couple of people who were opposed to it, and I respected that. The name was inspired by the work of the famous Italian poet Leonardo da Vinci, but it was actually a combination of the two that are so influential in the history of Italian cooking that the name was changed to monserrate. She still wiped under her eyes with a tissue several times while she was on the stand. The home was owned by his girlfriend at the time, Monserrate Shirley, who testified earlier this month that Bob. I said I think theres ($10,000) or $12,000 in there, and he said, That was not enough, I want $300,000, Shirley said. According to Shirleys account, she was struggling to stay financially afloat when she met Leonard, and within a month of dating, he came up with the idea. She continued handling some of Marion Countys most heinous crimes until January 2017, when her former boss, then-Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill, called her up and asked her to join him at the Indiana Statehouse, where he had just been elected attorney general. On November 19, it was announced that the investigation had become a criminal investigation. Monserrate Shirley said Mark Leonard was very, very mad., Mark Leonard said, Were going to do it again. [14] In April 2015, a fifth man, Glenn Hults, was charged with conspiracy to commit arson. His sentencing is set for December 28, 2016 at 1 p.m. Marion County Prosecutor Terry Curry issued the following statement: We respect the Courts decision ordering Monserrate Shirley to serve a fifty-year prison sentence for her participation in this senseless conspiracy. I was introduced to this once-a-year dish at a party and she was one of the first people to give it a shot. Everything's under control.". At the trial I had firefighters crying on the stand. Taking them at face value, taking them at what they told the court, they believed that since it was going to come up in the trial they should talk about it during jury selection, Robinson said. (WISH) Monserrate Shirley told jurors Wednesday she would do anything for Mark Leonard, because she was in love with him. Call 6 Investigator Rafael Sanchez and Senior Digital Correspondent Jordan Fischer will be in Fort Wayne covering the trial every day. It would have shortened the trial a week. Every day I ask myself why I didnt stop this. Shirley had heard of Bob before, but had not met him before he came over Thursday, November 1. Monserrate Shirley, 49, said she became distraught when neighbors telephoned her after the November 2012 explosion and told her that her home was destroyed. [The residents] clearly knew the Leonards were the bad actors, and that we needed to do everything we could to get to them, Robinson said. [7] Shirley told the police she never smelled any natural gas, but that her daughter had thought she did recently. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thompson said he'd been pulled over by a cop so he couldn't get to the house. Its a difficult case. And then there was the arrangement that when I picked up my daughter I would get to take some of my belongings. [25] Leonard allegedly asked another inmate at the Marion County jail if he could put him in contact with a hitman, according to the probable cause affidavit. HS counselor at board meeting, Serial Indianapolis rapist pleads guilty to 9 counts, Mom speaks out after 2 kids killed by falling tree, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Shirley's sentencing started Monday morning at 9 a.m. She faces 20 to 50 years in prison for two counts conspiracy to commit arson. In addition to his roofing business, Mastercraft, Leonard also flipped cars on the side. After her 12 hour shift, she planned to see her daughter at the Holts' house and change there. And I look at all the opportunity she had where she could have gone for help and she never did.. The original posters source was a little bit of a weird little coincidence, but the name was still alive and well. [6] Prosecutors also allege that he offered the hit man a $5,000 bonus if he made the murder look like a suicide. (Item updated.) Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. The defendants requested that the trials be moved over concerns they would not receive a fair trial in Central Indiana due to the high-profile media coverage received by the case. I dont believe in vengeance and I know that my son is not a person that would accept vengeance and such things, he didnt live that way., I look at Monserrate Shirley and I see a wasted life, said Tony Burnett, who lived across the street from Shirley. Shirley didn't hear anything more about a plot to start a fire that night, and nothing happened. She said she did not tell officers at the time what happened because she was scared. The next morning, they drove back and saw the house was still standing so they went on to Thompson's house where Leonard confronted him. She moved to the United States when she was 25. "No one deserves what happened," she said. "The State asked questions about [the interview] andthe judge said on the record that he saw no difference in her demeanor [on the video] than what she did today and that was our whole point: that she can tell a lie as easy as she tells the truth.". Shirley said after he and his wife's divorce was finalized in July 2011, the last time he was at the home at 8349 Fieldfare Way was August of that year. I cant give back what was taken from them on November 10. Its a game that only you can play. She was crying and hysterical and said the house blew up.". In her sentencing order, Judge Sheila Carlisle repeatedly stressed that Shirley could have stopped the plan at any time but didnt. They laughed at her for asking, but it was switched back out. Monserrate Shirley agreed to testify against Mark Leonard as part of a plea agreement to reduce her potential prison time. Its about not letting the person who was watching your game die ever have a say in your game. I dont feel bad for Mr. Leonard, said Don Buxton, father of Jennifer Longworth, who was killed in the blast with her husband, Dion. To this day, absolutely they had the right to do that. The sentence accounts for time served and good. Monserrate Shirley leaves court after learning her sentence. The game of death is a pretty popular one, but its not just because of the game of death; its also the game of life itself. Defense attorney Ted Minch on cross-examination: "You're not happy to be here today." Shirley says he and Monserrate married on July 17, 1993. Shirley says the house had three gas appliances when he lived there: furnace, water heater and fireplace. Home owner, Monserrate Shirley; her boyfriend, Mark Leonard; and his brother, Bob Leonard, were arrested Friday and charged with murder and arson Prosecutors may seek the death penalty Fire. ", When asked if the attacks on Shirley's credibility would damage the State's case, Deputy Prosecutor Denise Robinson said, "If you think about anybody who gives a number of statements, and you think about inconsistencies when you're asked questions and you have to answer the questions that you're asked [no more, no less]. The Oscars will air on ABC and can be streamed on ABC.com and the ABC app as well as Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV or FuboTV. On December 21, 2012, Monserrate Shirley, Mark Leonard, and his brother Bob Leonard were charged with 2 counts of felony murder and . As his court date neared, the workload ramped up. She said he also told her not to worry because he took out the step-down valve on the gas line, "and put it away where no one else would ever find it. But she had no hesitation when asked to identify the Longworths as her neighbors. Leonard, his ex-girlfriend Monserrate Shirley, his half-brother Robert Leonard and Mark Leonards former employee blew up Shirleys home in the Richmond Hill subdivision to collect about $300,000 in insurance money to pay off the houses mortgage and Mark Leonards gambling and credit card debts. Leonard was at the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility inSullivan County serving two life sentences for his role in the explosion that rocked the southeast-side neighborhood that destroyed five homes and damaged more than 80 others. She could face 20-50 years in prison. Monserrate Shirley, 51, was one of five people charged in the explosion that left two people dead. She now faces 20-50 years, though a judge has the right to suspend some, or all of that time. She later pointed out she agreed to the plot under Mark Leonard's premise that it would be a small fire at just her home - not an explosion that would affect other people. [28] Prosecutors expected to submit nearly 3,000 pieces of evidence, and potentially call up to 175 witnesses. She was 11 years old at that point. After that, the fire wasn't mentioned again until the week before Halloween. Monserrate Shirley, the Indianapolis homeowner whose house is suspected of being the source of a deadly explosion that damaged nearly 80 homes in her subdivision, was inconsolable Tuesday as she wept while speaking publicly for the first time about the horrific incident. A class C felony carries 2-8 years. Make I should have been there.". . How to fix the pii__email__cbd448bbd34c985e423c Error code? Her sister had lived in the same housing complex. This time, Shirley's daughterwas at home, but she was upstairs. Shirley said she would come back immediately, but they told her there was no house to come back to. Yes, I didnt think it would be possible, Monserrate Shirley said.HUGE EXPLOSION. You were a neighbor and you were a friend, Carlisle said. The co-conspirators include Shirleys boyfriend at the time, Mark Leonard, and his brother, Bob Leonard Jr. Deputy prosecutor Denise Robinson returned from prosecuting the Richmond Hill cases to a pile of homicides waiting on her desk. I went into the breakroom and texted my ex about what happened. Robinson says she didnt expect anything to change. Mark Leonard is on trial in South Bend in connection to the explosion in the Richmond Hill neighborhood that killed Jennifer and Dion Longworth in November 2012. I don't want to be involved in any of this.". Shirley testified that friends called and told her there was a huge explosion. Prosecutors contend that the motorcycle was disassembled in Shirley's garage. "It's like waking up to this bad dream," Shirley said, her voice cracking as tears flowed down her cheeks. More: Richmond Hill: 'The scars still remain', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 'It's the toughest thing I've ever done in my career', More: Richmond Hill explosion: 7 keys that solved the case. He did come to the house one week before the first attempt. The Richmond Hill neighbors had been waiting long enough without a trial. Will they get to the felony murder?. The group researched methods of how to destroy the home and made more than one attempt at doing so before succeeding, authorities said. The girlwas already out of the house while they cleared it of the sentimental items. Leonard asked Holts to tell the story of his own fire, how easily he'd gotten the money and to re-assure Shirley everything would be alright if they did it at her house. He said that his daughter had mentioned that the furnace wasn't . She died at age 85 in 2014, but Shirley Temple's childrenand fans gathered in LA on Monday, April 23 to celebrate what would have been her 90th birthday. With good behavior, her earliest possible release date is Dec. 19, 2032. ", When prosecutors asked if she was serious about the 401K offer, Shirley said, "I would have given him anything because I was in love with him.". Officials did not release further information regarding his death. I did my best. They enter into evidence two golf bags with clubs and a driver. Shirley: "I moved out in February of 2011. He leaves to cherish his memory his daughters: Britney Morales (Malcolm Richardson) and Maria Morales: two step-daughters Latasha (Nathan) Roberts and Kizzy Carter; three grandchildren and a host of other relatives and friends. Monserrate Shirley, the Indianapolis homeowner whose house is suspected of being the source of a deadly explosion that damaged nearly 80 homes in her subdivision, was inconsolable Tuesday as she wept while speaking publicly for the first time about the horrific incident. At least three of his possessions did survive, however: two golf bags, with clubs, and a driver he'd been gifted. And in each of those categories, you betrayed your trust.. It's also possible she will walk free if the judge sentences. Today, Snowball, a white Persian cat, is in the care of John Shirley, Monserrate's ex-husband. towns among 150 Best Small Town in America, Citizens support Ind. [1] Thirty-three homes were damaged severely enough to require demolition. Call IndyStar reporter Holly Hays at (317) 444-6156.
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